Nurul Haque Nur, president of the Gono Odhikar Parishad and former vice president of the Dhaka University Central Students' Union, expressed his full solidarity on Sunday with job seekers excluded from the second gazette of the 43rd Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination, who have been on hunger strike for 122 hours.
The indefinite hunger strike began at 11am on Tuesday at the foot of the Raju Memorial Sculpture at Dhaka University.
"Give them an ultimatum, and we will stand by you, even surrounding the ministry if necessary. We are with you in your struggle to get your jobs back," Nur said.
The protesting job seekers are 122 hours into their hunger strike and have not received any action regarding their demands to be gazetted and allowed to join service, and for the implementation of a "Government Service Verification Policy."
Nur also assured the protesters that he will speak with the public administration secretary about what they are thinking regarding the protesters' situation one last time.
"Even more shameful is that the student representatives in the government, who should rush to help at lightning speed when issues arise, are nowhere to be found," Nur said.
He highlighted the financial burden placed on job seekers, noting that it costs Tk1,000 to apply for a job in Bangladesh, while most students come from lower-middle-class families.
"Many parents have to sell their land just to pay the application fees. Employers and recruiting organizations should bear the application costs for job seekers," he added.
Nur also criticized the lengthy recruitment process, saying that a complete job recruitment process takes two to three years, which could easily be finished within one year if desired.
He demanded immediate appointments for all excluded candidates except those who are members of the Chhatra League with posted positions.
